Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

[@marciwhitman3513]

Is gamma knife just an umbrella name for all stereotactic radiosurgery? Because I know that I received stereotactic radiosurgery radiation but I don't know what particular kind it was because I don't know what kind of machine was used for my type of radiation. I know that there was a mask made in order to keep my head in place when the radiation was administered and I only had one treatment. I have a benign brain tumor and it's not very large but it was too large to be just watched so I needed to get radiation or microsurgery. So I got radiation 3 weeks ago and it was only one treatment and I'm still suffering from the side effects and I still haven't gone back to work. And I'm still trying to find out if what I'm going through is the normal type of recovery or not since nobody can give me a proper answer since they keep telling me that everybody responds differently. I'm still getting daily headaches and dizzy spells and I'm still extremely tired. And my tinnitus is still extremely loud and very bothersome. I was not able to take the oral steroids that were recommended because I got very bad side effects from that so I had to stop taking it after the first dose. I am pretty sure that the radiation that I received was not gamma knife but somebody mentioned to me that all radiation is basically the same especially when it is used for an acoustic neuroma. I don't know if that is true or not so I'm trying to learn more about what exactly gamma knife is and why it keeps being mentioned when people have an acoustic neuroma. It seems to be the popular choice for radiation for this type of tumor. The way that mine was done was that I came in for a simulation which is where they formed the mask which was something that went behind my head and over my face but it left my nose and my eyes opened and it went over my forehead and my mouth and they also took a cat-scan on that day. I had had a previous MRI done recently. And then there was a 2-week time period where they had to set everything up and figure out my dosage for the radiation and set up the machine for the perfect angle and all of that and then I came back after that two weeks and I had my treatment. It was totally outpatient so it looks like something that was totally different from what is being shown in this video

[@ashfaqahmad-ng8lv]

Gamma knife uses cobalt 60 as a source of radiation, LINAC and cyberknife use a linear accelerator to generate radiation beam. They are are doing the same thing just by different approach. You likely received radiation by a LINAC or cyberknife since they use a thermoplastic mask for immobilization. I am a radiation oncologist so rest assured you have been treated well. Gamma knife was the first machine developed to deliver precise radiation, that is why you more often hear it. LINAC and cyberknife are newer machines but more flexible. Benign lesions take time to respond to radiation, you will have symptomatic relief over a period of time.

[@marciwhitman3513]

@@ashfaqahmad-ng8lv I don't think I had any of those types of radiation that you mentioned because the place where I went doesn't have those kinds of machines. I know it wasn't gamma knife because I saw a demonstration of that and the machine where I was actually went around me and the table that I was lying on remained stationary. So I know it wasn't gamma knife cuz that means you would go inside of a machine. And I know it wasn't CyberKnife and it wasn't linac either. So whether it was proton or photon or whatever I don't know. But it's not just for brain tumors where I went. They do radiation for all kinds of tumors. So maybe there's another kind that wasn't mentioned. I'm not sure the radiation therapist really knows what kind of radiation I was given but it was stereotactic radiosurgery and that's all that I know. I had it done at Einstein main hospital in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

[@annesummers09]

I have TN. I had an MRI that the Dr. said clearly showed pressure against the nerve. He recommended Gamma knife so I had it. Its been 3 weeks the pain is worst than its ever been. I consider this a failure. Why did he recommend Gamma knife instead of MVD? I'm in perfect health except being overweight. (I weigh 225) The pain is getting worse day by day. What should I do? Thanks.